1
as in struggled
to devote serious and sustained effort
everyone really hustled to get the project finished on schedule
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hurried
to proceed or move quickly
we'd better hustle, or we'll miss the train
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in squeezed
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
a swindler who hustled cashiers by getting them all confused while they were making change
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hustled
Raised in a Hollywood household, with a TV writer dad and hitmaking songwriter sister, Todd skipped college, hustled on TikTok, signed to Columbia and toured with Omar Apollo.
—
Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
In a sense, bees went from wild foragers to shift workers, clocking in for bloom season as beekeepers hustled them from farm to farm.
—Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
Napoleon Solo hustled to first place at the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, coming out on top against 13 other horses in what is the race's biggest field in 15 years.
—CBS News, 16 May 2026
Dominguez hustled back to the wall and made a spectacular catch, but crashed incredibly hard into the wall.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Caminero led off with a walk, then hustled to third when Aranda followed with a single.
—Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
On the ensuing possession after Ausar Thompson hustled for an offensive rebound, Cunningham made a step-back, 16-foot jumper to help seal it.
—ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
The president was uninjured and was hustled away.
—Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
All of them were hustled out of sight.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 26 Apr. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
In a sense, bees went from wild foragers to shift workers, clocking in for bloom season as beekeepers hustled them from farm to farm.
—Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
Napoleon Solo hustled to first place at the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, coming out on top against 13 other horses in what is the race's biggest field in 15 years.
—CBS News, 16 May 2026
Dominguez hustled back to the wall and made a spectacular catch, but crashed incredibly hard into the wall.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Caminero led off with a walk, then hustled to third when Aranda followed with a single.
—Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
On the ensuing possession after Ausar Thompson hustled for an offensive rebound, Cunningham made a step-back, 16-foot jumper to help seal it.
—ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
The president was uninjured and was hustled away.
—Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
All of them were hustled out of sight.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hustled
Verb
-
Jalen Brunson has 19 points to lead New York, but the Knicks have struggled to avoid fouls on defense and struggled to make foul shots on the other end.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
-
Rushing out onto the beach, George struggled to comprehend what had happened.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Gardner, the activist, hurried over, tapped Nereyda on the shoulder and pointed toward the pit.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
The baseball team beat Calvin Christian 7-1, then hurried across the plaza at SDSU — about 50 yards — to cheer the girls on.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Freddie Freeman squeezed one inside the left-field foul pole in the first inning, his fourth home run in nine games (after hitting just one in the previous 35 games).—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
-
The story of America’s lopsided home prices has often been pinned on the wealthy remote workers who squeezed home supply in the pandemic’s early days.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The start didn’t get much easier for Bradley, who labored through a four-inning effort and suffered the loss against the Pirates.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
3 June 2026
-
The Thunder labored through a 111-103 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday in a decisive Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Pip scurried over to take a seat on my foot.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
Lee, who had extended his hitting streak to 16 games the at-bat before, scurried back to first base.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Many of the items for the set were quite literally plucked from her residence ahead of her Saturday Night Live performance at the end of last year.—
Angela Tafoya,
Architectural Digest,
29 May 2026
-
Etna, a battle-scarred but kindhearted shepherd mix who was plucked from his home on the eve of an unspecified conflict in an unnamed country, has grown weary of war’s brutalities and longs to return to the coastal farm of his puppyhood.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Each one she’s ever worked with has their own unique personality.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
Director Max Winkler worked closely with the two actors to create a rapport that could inform their face-offs, which operate on rage and fear.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
The driver allegedly sped away and crashed into an uninvolved OPD patrol car that was traveling northbound on 29th Avenue, near East 12th Street.—
Jose Fabian,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
-
Mark and Jacob were with their mother and younger sibling in a crosswalk at Triunfo Canyon Road when witnesses said two cars sped toward them.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hustled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hustled. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
